Tops

Sandra Tucker                  Crown Fine Arts Academy
                               2128 S. St. Louis
                               Chicago IL  60623
                               (312)534-1680

Objective:

This lesson is designed for primary level students.  They will observe angular 
motion - precession.

Materials Needed:

Bicycle wheel - Put handles on the axle through the center.  Fill the tire with 
      sand or if no tire, get a vacuum cleaner hose.  Fill it with sand and 
      tape it to the rim.  On one end of the handle attach a string. 
Chair that rotates 
Gyroscope
A variety of tops
Cardboard
Plastic lids of various sizes
Push pins
Round toothpicks
Wooden skewers
Scissors
Crayons
Compass
Tape
Glue gun

Strategy:

Hold up the bicycle tire by the handle and ask students to identify the item.  
Then hold the tire by the string and ask the students what they observe.  It 
falls down.  Next, hold the bicycle tire and have someone help to spin the tire.  
Now hold it by the string and ask students to observe what happens.  As the 
bicycle wheel spins on its axis, it also rotates around the string.  Students 
should note that it is spinning two different ways.  You can introduce the 
vocabulary rotate or revolve.  

Next, have a volunteer sit on the chair that rotates.  Give them the bicycle 
wheel to hold and get it spinning.  Ask them to angle it to the right or to the 
left.  As the wheel angles to one direction or the other, the chair rotates in 
the same direction.

Last, ask for a volunteer that is a very good runner.  Tell them they need to 
run straight ahead and then make a sharp turn.  Have them practice.  Then give 
them the wheel to hold and spin it for them.  As they run and turn, they need to 
try to hold the wheel upright.  They may want to try several times or ask for 
another volunteer.  They will soon see they can't hold it upright.  Ask for the 
student's observations and write them on the board.   

Next, show them a gyroscope, and demonstrate some tops.  Give the students time 
to play with the bicycle wheel, gyroscope and tops.  After they have finished, 
ask for any observations they have made about tops and write them on the board. 

Performance Assessment:

Students are to use the cardboard, plastic lids, toothpicks, push pins and 
skewers to make their own tops.  They may decorate them.  The tops work better 
if the pins, toothpicks or skewers are glued to the disks with the glue gun.  If 
the top spins, the student was successful.  Creativity in the shape of the disk 
is a plus.  For Kindergarten or 1st graders, the teacher should poke the hole in 
the disk and help to attach the center post with the hot glue. 

Extensions:

Disks can be also be used to show how colors mix or to demonstrate optical 
illusions.

References:

175 Science Experiments, Brenda Walpole, Random House, NY, l988, p. 155.

Simple Science Experiments With Everyday Materials, Muriel Mandell, Sterling 
Publishing Co., Inc. NY, 1990, pp. 40-41.